Power Generation

Siemens lands $462m Dewa deal

Siemens has completed extensive service operations on the gas turbines at Jebel Ali K-station in a r

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has signed a Dh1.7-billion ($462 million) operating plant service agreement (Opsa), with German technology powerhouse Siemens.

The 12-year contract includes providing maintenance, spare parts and gas turbine rehabilitation for the second phase of K-Station at Jebel Ali Power and Desalination Station, and the third phase of H-Station at the Al Aweer Power Station, said a statement from Dewa.

As part of its efforts to implement best practices to achieve the highest levels of efficiency, reliability and service availability, and in support of its vision to become a sustainable innovative world-class utility, the Dubai utility also extended the long-term maintenance plan (LTMP) for seven more years, for the second phase of L-Station.

On the new contract, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, the managing director and chief executive, said: “Dewa strives to introduce all the latest developments in technology and re-engineering processes in its operations.”

“The authority is consolidating its leading position, both nationally and globally, by providing electricity and water services to the highest international standards of reliability, efficiency, availability and safety,” noted Al Tayer.

This Opsa contract, he stated, contributes to efficiency and quality improvements, cost reduction, and the efficient operation of Dewa’s power plants.

“It also obliges Siemens to provide specialist personnel, and all the equipment and spare parts for the maintenance of these turbines and generators,” he added.

Completes extensive service at Dewa plant in record time

Siemens completed extensive service operations on the gas turbines at Jebel Ali K-station in a record time of only 29 working days, a notable accomplishment for a project of this scale, the company said.

The power plant is located in Dubai and owned by Dewa and in operation since 2002.

The outage featured the application of the “rotor-swap”, a pioneering concept that has been developed by Dewa to utilise a spare rotor and other critical parts, stored at the plant’s site, to maximise each unit›s availability and reduce idle time while waiting for the completion of rotor assembly work, it said.

Under terms of the agreement, Siemens provided supervisory services for three of Jebel Ali K-station’s gas turbines to enable further efficient and reliable operation for approximately 100,000 hours – equivalent to about 15 years. The upgrades also increased power output by 62.6 megawatts (MW) and improved power plant efficiency by about 0.5 percent.

“The new project is built on over 30 years of trust and partnership with Siemens. We are very pleased to work with the company again and successfully complete services of Jebel Ali K-station’s power assets so quickly, which allowed the plant to reduce the length of maintenance outage and return the turbines to service as early as possible,” said Nasser Lootah, executive vice president of Dewa. “With this project, we will enhance the power output and the long-term availability of our power generation assets.”

After a certain number of operating hours, all gas turbines need to be dismantled for maintenance services. Typically, an outage of this kind would take up to 45 working days to complete, involving over 100 personnel with different areas of technical expertise. By implementing a newer outage concept, Siemens was able to perform the services within just 29 working days, setting a new benchmark in the global power service industry, the company said.

“Dewa puts a great importance on the availability and sustainability of power for Dubai’s population, which results in their continuous commitment to innovative ideas and proactive approach for accomplishing the best results,” said Gianluigi Di Giovanni, senior executive vice president of Siemens Power Generation Services in the Middle East. “This project reflects our commitment to bringing the company’s latest and most-advanced technologies to the UAE to help boost the efficiency and sustainability of its energy sector.”

Recently, Siemens and Dewa have signed an agreement to collaborate on an advanced data-driven project. Siemens and Dewa are working together to identify ways to improve thermal efficiency, provide cost-effective solutions for performance optimisation, manage costs and reduce fuel consumption and emissions, it said.